Opinion: Barack Obama to John McCain: ‘Oh yeah, well you’re a celebrity, too!’
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As they say in sports coverage, let’s go to the tape.
First, of course, we have the John McCain ad trying to make Barack Obama look all light and fluffy by linking him to some Hollywood party girls. ‘Passing fad’ is the not-so-subliminal message here.
And now we have Obama’s ad response. The theme here -- ‘Takes one to know one.’
The risk for Obama is that the ad’s hard-edged tone contrasts with his attempt to portray himself as a different kind of politician. There’s a thin line between ads that point out policy differences, and a negative ad. This one is negative. And with a race that will likely be decided by a sliver of voters who base decisions on immeasurable things -- the folks who would rather have a beer with George Bush than Al Gore or John Kerry -- Obama’s decision to throw rocks could come back to haunt him. Or, it could be the kind of tactic that persuades people that he is, indeed, ‘the one.’
And you folks thought politics was a science.
-- Scott Martelle
